One Year Later
by Moderndaydrifter
Summary: It’s been a year and Joe & Helen are on their way back from Vienna. Are things in good order or are they in for a big surprise?
1. Prologue: Return to Nantucket

_Hey guys, this is my first attempt at a Wings Fanfic! I was practically ecstatic when I saw that finally put up a spot for us to put our stories! Anyway, this is a story that takes place after the series finale after Helen's year long study is over and they are making their way back to Nantucket._

_Rating: PG_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing, these characters are used for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of this! Please don't sue, you won't get much out of me anyway!_

_Spoilers: Takes place after the series finale._

_Summary: It's been a year and Joe & Helen are on their way back from Vienna. Are things in good order or are they in for a big surprise?_

**_One Year Later_**

_Prologue: Return to Nantucket_

__

_**Previously on Wings….**_

"_I'll run Sandpiper for one year, when you come back it'll be here."_

"_I don't understand why you are doing this."_

"_Let's just say it's your turn."_

_

* * *

One year. That amount of time could mean different things to people based on their perspective and opinion. To some it could mean a brief amount of time like the blink of an eye and it's gone but to some others it could be the complete opposite. It could mean a long path or tunnel with no sign of light at the end of the tunnel._

Joe and Helen weren't entirely sure about the past year they encountered in Vienna, Austria…they just knew it was time for them to pack up and head back to Nantucket, back to the small island they grew up on and were so fond of.

Closing the door of their small two-bedroom apartment, they made there way down the stairs to the cab waiting by the curb, ready to take them to the airport. Neither of them was talkative as they closed this chapter on their lives. It had been one year full of events and uncertainty as well as happy times as well as sorrow. It was a great experience nonetheless and Helen finally got to live her dream of studying her music with professionals other than students she taught on the island.

After about an hour of waiting they boarded flight 2678, non-stop service to Boston-Logan Airport, both of them knowing the flight was probably going to be the longest of their life. The next time they set foot on land they'd be in Massachusetts, the place they knew and loved, surrounded by their friends and family and most of all, Sandpiper Air, something Joe had such a hard time saying goodbye to.

Joe watched as Helen dozed off in the window seat beside her, thinking about how much he loved letting her do what she wanted to do. He just hoped deep down inside that she really wanted to go back, he didn't want her to feel like he was cutting her dream off but there was really not much else they could do, the year long study was over and there was nothing left for them in Vienna. Closing his eyes he tried to avert his attention elsewhere as butterflies grew in his stomach over the fact that he'd soon be back flying his Cessna 402 over the waters between Boston and Nantucket as things slowly went back to normal.

"Joe? Joe wake up." Helen jostled him a little bit as his eyes slowly fluttered open. "We are about to land."

He sat up, looking over her and through the window at the city below them as a smile crept across both of their lips. "Home sweet home."

_Please let me know if this is worth continuing or not! Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter One: Touching Down In Bean Town

_A/n: Wow I'm quite impressed about the response I got on the prologue for this story! Thanks to Freyla, Kristen3, identityless, and Imzadi for your great feedback, it really makes it worthwhile to know there are people who like it! Thanks again!_

_Also, I'm not exactly sure how well the comedic aspect of this story is flowing, so please forgive me if it sounds cheesy and corny, If you look at most of my stories they are usually dark dramas so this is quite a change for me as well as a new experience._

_Rating: PG_

_Disclaimer: Still don't own them, which is probably a good thing! _

_**One Year Later Chapter One: Touching Down in Bean Town**_

After a few more moments of waiting the Boeing 747 was cleared for landing and within a matter of a few minutes the plane wheels made contact with the runway below them allowing the airplane to taxi up to the jetway of gate 47 B. The clanking of people undoing their seatbelts could be heard throughout the cabin as people got ready to exit in to the main area of the airport.

Helen gently grabbed Joe's arm, giving it a small squeeze and him supportive smile, then allowed him to grab their belongings out of the overhead compartment over their seats. Slowly they made their way up the aisle and out the door, each giving a nod to the pilots and flight crew on their way out.

Joe wasn't sure what excited him more, the fact that he was home or that he'd soon be seeing everyone he was used to seeing everyday.

"Joe don't walk so fast, I can't keep up. One of your strides equals about 4 of mine." Helen yelled from behind him pushing past a crowd of people that had split her and Joe up.

Turning around, Joe didn't even realize he had practically left his wife in the dust. "Sorry, I got lost in the excitement."

"Yeah I'm sure that's what it is," She sighed. "I'm just ready to get back on the quiet little island away from all mankind."

"Then you better lock the door and hide because everyone is ready to see you." He had gotten a call from Brian the day before they left Vienna informing him he'd meet them at the airport to take them back to the island so Joe was keeping his eyes open for him as they neared the baggage claim area.

"Keep an eye out for Brian, I have no idea where he's wanting to meet us."

Helen nodded and pointed in front of them, a huge grin creeping across her face when she saw him standing by a payphone, minding his own business. "There he is!!" She gave out her chipmunk-like giggle and picked up her pace, this time leaving Joe behind her.

"Brian!!" She was so ecstatic that she didn't care how loud she was being. "You look great!"

Brian gave her a blank stare, backing away from her. "Do I know you?" He looked her up and down. "People warned me about freaks at airports but I surely wasn't expecting this."

Helen also backed off but knew it was just him goofing off. "Brian! Give me a hug."

He pulled her in tightly, patting her back as he did. "I missed you kid! Did Vienna make you shorter?"

"No but I think us being gone made you dumber."

Joe set their suitcases down on the floor, giving Brian a nod. "Brother." He put his hand out for Brian to shake, but it quickly got pushed away as they hugged each other. "How's everything going?"

Brian put his two index fingers over his mouth as he swallowed hard. "The airport burned down along with your plane. I'm currently running a snow cone stand by the beach and was hoping you'd help me out."

Joe was so exhausted from jet lag that he didn't even let out a small laugh. "How could I forget about your goofiness? How's the business?"

"Let's get back to the island and you can see for yourself, though I think the right question should be 'how is everyone back home doing?"

* * *

Their arrival through the doors of gate one were just as both of them expected, a small surprise party welcoming them home with a huge banner across the railings of the second floor waiting area. Everyone in sync yelled SURPRISE as streamers and confetti was thrown at them. Even a big sandwich was near the lunch counter calling everyone's names since that was a delicacy for parties held in Nantucket.

First to greet them was Fay, her hair cut short over her ears but she looked just about the same. "I'm so glad to see you two!" She hugged each of them, "It's been a long year."

"Hey Fay, it's great to be back! You guys didn't have to throw us a party though," Helen replied as she took notice to Antonio, Roy, and Casey. She gave them all long hugs, still amazed that they were actually home. "You have no idea how much I missed you all."

They all pretty much looked the same except for Roy, and Helen and Joe had to do a double take to make sure it was actually the Roy Biggins they knew. He was still a chubby man but actually thin compared to the overweight frame he carried before. He gave a small smile and wave, approaching them.

"Hey guys, how was your flight?" He paused, taking notice to their facial expressions. "Pick your tongues up off of the floor and close your mouths, its just a little will power. Helen, you should know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Roy, you look amazing! How'd you do it?" Joe still could not believe it was Roy in his presence.

"All right all right, it wasn't just dieting that did it. I had gastric bypass surgery about 7 months ago, not long after you guys left. Now pretty much all I can eat is card board but I do feel loads better than before."

"Well you look wonderful." Helen patted him on the chest. "Casey, how did running the lunch counter go?"

Casey tried to fight off one of her disgusted looks she seemed to carry around everyday but it didn't work. "Just…wonderful." There was no hiding the sarcasm in her voice though, and Helen caught on quickly.

"Something tells me your lying." She glanced over at the small corner she spent so much time in and then back at her older sister. "You didn't make me go out of business did you?"

Casey threw her hands out in front of her, letting out a small, exasperated laugh at the same time. "Oh heavens no! I'm just very happy to give it back to you!"

Antonio couldn't hold himself back. "Let's just say she reduced your menu down to about 4 items. Water, coffee, bread, and something that looks like the scum buildup you see around the knobs on kitchen sinks. I can't even describe the taste of it, but it's a once in a lifetime experience nonetheless."

Helen nodded, her smile slowly fading. "You mean it's that good despite how it looks?"

"No, no no. I mean you'll only eat it once and never want it again!"

* * *

After visiting with everyone and catching up Joe could not hold himself back from visiting his plane out in the hangar. He walked in and paused before he went up and hugged the nose of it, the same way he did many times before. He couldn't help but think of the hard times as well as the good times….the very moment he opened Sandpiper and the emotions that ran through his mind. Looking back on all of the years he could at least say he was proud of himself and his brother for all of the accomplishments they had made. Brian had kept good care of it while he was gone, which made him be able to sigh a breath of relief.

"I see you got reacquainted with your baby."

Joe was thrown off guard and quickly jumped, seeing Brian standing adjacent to him. "Yeah, from what I can tell you have done really well with the business."

"You haven't looked at the books yet have you?"

Joe arched his eyebrow, never entirely sure if he should take him seriously and fall into his trap or laugh along with him. "What?"

"There's a lot I've gotta tell you, so much has changed…."

_TBC…..Sorry about the cliffhanger, I hate them when I'm reading a story too but I gotta keep people reading somehow! Please let me know how it's going and thanks for reading!_


	3. Chapter Two: The Truth Comes Out

_A/n: Okay so it has taken me well over 2 months to spit out chapter two on this. I don't want to feed you a line of excuses but life has happened and it has come at me hard. I started a new job and had some personal things happen, but I'll leave it at that and not bore you more with it! I do hope there are some of you still interested in this._

_Rating: PG_

_Disclaimer: Still don't own any of them!_

_Special Thanks: identityless, Freyla, Kristen3, PicnicNicki, Penny unahorafoto, and Kellyzakaru101978. Also to everyone else who has kept an interest in this, thanks for all of your feedback and reviews!_

_Please forgive me for the comedic aspect, I mention this again because it seems more dramatic for me, so I apologize yet again in advance for it._

_**One Year Later Chapter Two: The Truth Comes Out**_

Joe never liked it when Brian tried to ease into situations rather than getting straight to the truth. So much had changed, that was obvious. Life was like that, but the real nail biter was wondering if it had changed for the better or the worse, and getting the truth out of Brian might be harder than landing in heavy fog.

Brian stalled by pacing back and forth in front of the desk, allowing Joe to sit down. He ran his fingers through his curly hair, making it a tad bit more messy than it was before. He couldn't help but note the expression on Joe's face, something he mastered since he was 12, the look he gave Brian letting him know he was utterly pissed and his patience was wearing thin.

"Are you going to tell me or make me guess?" Joe folded his arms over his chest as he took in a deep breath. He never could read Brian all the way but at the moment he was livid.

"So much has changed Joey…."

"Yeah, you said that already, now tell me what has changed."

Brian sat on the corner of the desk, swallowing hard. "A few months after you guys moved we almost went bankrupt again." He paused, noting the look on Joe's face. "But wait, before you blow up I did manage to rescue the business before I sold it or filed for bankruptcy."

"And how did you manage to do that?" Joe asked, calming down a bit from the moments before. They had almost sold the company in past years but thankfully caught a huge break so this was nothing new to him.

"I leased the company for 6 months."

Joe arched his eyebrow, hoping Brian would give him more details but the room fell silent, almost too silent. He tapped his fingers on the desk as he waited but then broke the silence around them.

"And what else? Who leased it? What are the stipulations? When is the lease up?"

Brian stepped back, a smirk growing on his face. "Easy Joe, I feel like I should be sitting in a dark room with one of those bright lights shoved in my face. Don't interrogate me, we still own Sandpiper. If I wouldn't have done this then there would be nothing."

Joe nodded. "Okay well answer the questions."

"Alright alright." Brian began to pace back and forth in front of him. "The lease is pretty simple. We pay 35 to the person that is leasing it. The lease is up in 2 months." He stopped, not wanting to say right off whom he had made this deal with.

Joe caught right on though, not even skipping a beat. "I'm not going to like who took it over am I?"

"Roy took it over."

Joe nodded, taking in yet another deep sigh. "God Brian, why didn't you file bankruptcy?" He was kidding, he would have been even more livid if that would've happened but he couldn't resist the moment.

Brian laughed for a moment, cutting himself off abruptly. "Believe me Joe, these past few months have made me wonder but at least we still have Sandpiper and you didn't come back to nothing."

"Yep, we are going to owe Roy for the rest of our lives. We'll never hear the end of it."

* * *

Helen thought she'd dread the day she went back to the lunch counter, but as she put on her blue plaid apron she actually felt at ease with herself, not like she did before where she felt as if she was stuck in a deep rut. Thankfully Casey had kept her end of the deal, passing health inspections with flying colors and keeping the customers satisfied. She couldn't afford to keep her hired on, but thankfully she had found a job somewhere else, some place she hadn't informed her about yet.

She had never stopped to think about it, but life was obviously very different in other countries. The food was a major difference she noticed. In America it was obvious the food was way more unhealthy with all of the added chemicals. In Vienna they ate more natural things not including all of the sausage.

Roy sitting across the counter from her was a constant reminder despite the fact he had lost so much weight.

"What can I get you Roy?" She flicked her writing tablet open and waited patiently as he skimmed over the menu.

"Hmmm.." He ran his finger over his black mustache. "I'll have a Cobb salad with very light olive oil and some clam chowder."

She tried not to allow her eyes to widen but she couldn't help it.

"You look surprised, what's the problem?"

She gave a nervous laugh, hoping not to offend him. "I'm just not used to you ordering chick food, that's all."

"Well you know how it is when you are battling weight. Just mark this down as another battle won in my war against the bulge."

"Well good for you, I'll have that out to you in a minute."

* * *

Joe couldn't take his eyes off of the paperwork from the previous year. What he really needed to do was drop the whole thing and be glad that they didn't get in deeper than they were. He just knew Roy and how much of a big mouth he was, and that was probably another nail in the coffin for his business. There was so much running through his mind, another major thing being the renewal of his license with AMA. He had to renew since he hadn't really flown the entire year. He also had to think about his house and getting things back to the normal routine, just what he wanted, more stress.

Brian was gone on a flight to Boston, which made him not feel so bad about going through everything. Flipping through page after page, his thoughts were interrupted by Antonio who poked his head through the door that led out to the hangar.

"Hey Joe."

"Hey Antonio, what can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to say that I'm really happy you two are back."

Joe nodded, giving him a humble smile. "Thank you, that's very nice of you to say."

"Really really glad you are back." He continued to hang through the door, not even coming all the way in the office.

"Thanks.." Joe trailed off, not sure where this was going.

Antonio stood in the same spot, staring into the room. Things fell quiet, making Joe rock back and forth in his chair.

"Is there something else I can help you with Antonio?"

"Business is slow and I'm lonely, help me out here alright?"

Joe closed the book, standing up. "I tell ya what, we can all go out to dinner tonight. Right now I gotta get some work done."

"Back one day and you are already back to working too hard." Antonio shook his head, "Some things never change." He closed the door behind him.

Not 30 seconds after Antonio left, Brian entered the other door, throwing his brief case down, taking note to what his older brother was doing.

"Read anything interesting?"

"Just getting up to date on some things."

Brian sat on the edge of the desk, frowning. "After the lease is up is what I was worried about, what do you think?"

Joe ran his fingers over his hair, pacing behind the leather chair in front of him. "If we keep losing customers to Aeromass as well as the ferry I honestly don't know what to tell you. We gotta find a way to start making more of a profit."

"Well I'm open for suggestions, I've been contemplating it since I signed those damn lease papers."

Both sat and stared down at the worn out book, both wondering how they would get out of this dilemma before it was too late to bring Sandpiper back to life.

_TBC…I apologize again for how long this has taken me! _


	4. Chapter Three: A Foggy Horizon

_**Author's Note: **I updated this one a little quicker than the other, though I still wish I would've been a little faster on this! The chapter is a bit short but I wanted to get another one published before I let another 2 months slip by again, I promised I wouldn't do that! _

_I also feel that this story is sort of winding down, I wanted it to be a lot longer than it is but I think comedy is a lot harder to write in length than drama, you just don't get the inner angst that you would with drama/suspense. I might be able to squeeze out one more chapter, if not two from this._

_**Special Thanks: Kristen3 and identityless **for your reviews! I appreciate it so much and thanks for being patient and dealing with my procrastination! I know I'm terrible! _

**One Year Later Chapter Three: A Foggy Horizon**

Joe couldn't think of anything else to do at that moment, he had stared at the paperwork for well over an hour and a half, and staring at it would do nothing for the company, just make him go crazy and run off of a cliff. He wasn't sure why he had put so much sweat into this company, no matter how hard he worked they always somehow came up short.

"You okay?" Helen approached him in the hangar where he stood next to the right wing with a blank stare on his face.

"Of course I'm okay, what makes you think something is wrong?"

She smirked, hugging him around the waste. "Maybe it was that lost puppy dog look you had painted across your mug, or the fact that you came home to a lease. Those both were dead giveaways."

He pulled away quickly, his eyes widening. "How did you know? Who told you?"

"It's a small island honey, you are acting like you've never been here before. You know how rumors spread."

He let out a deep sigh, running his fingers down the smooth surface of his airplane. He didn't really want Helen to know how deep they were in but she was his wife, it was only right that she knew.

"We'll be okay. Leasing it was smart, now we'll just have to work extra hard to keep it where we won't have to lease it again." He frowned after saying that. "Who am I kidding? Every year it seems we are here at this same crossroads. The decision we make seems to last for a few months then we sink again. Our luck will eventually run out."

Helen stood back, allowing him to vent to her. He was right though, they were in the same predicament every time they turned around. They had to compete with Aeromass, a "huge" airline compared to their one plane operation.

"I'm not sure what to tell you Joe."

He smiled, pulling her near him. "It's okay, you don't have to say anything, just being here is helping."

* * *

"Hey Casey, you haven't told me what your new job is. Did you have a hard time finding something else?" Helen asked later that day as she wiped down the countertop behind the lunch counter. Casey had been avoiding her it seemed, or it could've been her imagination just being paranoid.

"No, it wasn't hard finding a job." She tried walking off quickly, but Helen was quick, and within a second was around the counter, grabbing her arm.

"So, where are you working?"

Casey gave out a nervous laugh, dreading the question her sister was asking her. "I'm the lobster down at the seafood place by the lighthouse."

Helen stepped back, trying to hold in a laugh because it was obvious that Casey was ashamed of her new found calling. She looked down feeling it coming on but stopped herself again.

"The stuffed mascot?"

She nodded. "That's why I didn't want to tell you."

"Why?" Helen played dumb, hoping Casey wouldn't see through it.

"Because of that look you have on your face. It's an honest living." She walked off, not allowing Helen to reply to her.

"What was that all about?" Roy was waiting patiently at the counter, holding a menu in his left hand as he skimmed through it. Helen was still not used to the 'new' Roy, but she was proud of him for fighting the weight and keeping it off, even if surgery had a part in it.

Helen shrugged. "Casey was just telling me about her new job."

Roy's face grew serious as he threw the menu down in front of him. "What are you and Joe doing this evening? Got any plans?"

Helen had sudden flashbacks of the night they were invited over when Roy wanted to introduce his girlfriend to his mother and she ended up not showing up, forcing Helen to play Pauline. It was sheer hell for her when Roy unexpectedly proposed to her but rejected her to satisfy her mother. She didn't want to be put in a situation like that again.

"You ever hear the saying full me once shame on you, full me twice shame on me?" Helen asked, giving Roy a smirk as she did.

"What is that supposed to mean? I really need to talk to you two."

Helen moved away, still contemplating just what Roy wanted from them. "Look Roy, I really had a lot of fun pretending to be your girlfriend that night, but once is enough, I can die happy." She paused. "Look, if it's really important talk to Joe about it, right now I'm not good at making decisions."

"Ok, I'll do that." He stood up, leaving Helen there as he walked into Joe's office, not even knocking as he did.

"Some things never change, you didn't even knock."

Roy shut the door, disregarding Joe's comment. "Are you busy tonight?"

Joe shrugged, putting more piles of paperwork down. "That depends."

"On?"

"On whether or not I have to pretend to be your house boy again."

Roy frowned and threw his hands at Joe. "Would you people get over that, it was a long time ago! It's actually between you and Brian and me. I went ahead and invited Helen too since she's part of the family."

At that moment Joe knew that Roy wanted to talk about business, but with him you could never be sure until he fully came out and said it.

"Are you wanting to talk about Sandpiper?"

Roy nodded. "I think it's time we put the future of your business out into the open. I've got a proposition for you."

"Okay, I'll talk to Brian and we'll let you know what we're doing tonight, then we can talk about it later."

* * *

"Hey Brian, how do you feel about having dinner with Roy tonight?" Joe leaned back in his chair, staring back at his brother who was across from him behind the desk.

Brian couldn't help but take advantage of this. "Well, he has dropped a good chunk of weight and it's a shame, I like my men big."

Joe sighed; he should've expected that from his younger brother. The best thing he could do was ignore it rather than replying and pouring more fuel on the fire that had started.

"He wants to talk business and about Sandpiper. I think he's got something up his sleeve and I want you to be there too. We both own this company and there will be no final decision until we both agree on something."

"Agree on what, are you thinking about selling Sandpiper?"

"We'll see what Roy has to say, right now the future is blurry."

_TBC….._


End file.
